"I wouldn't say they're over with, but such endeavors are becoming more and more difficult with the amount of leasing that is going on now," Shaw said. "Hunters and landowners are leasing in most parts of the state, although I really don't have a handle on that." However, he went on to suggest that the abundance of public hunting land opportunities that Oklahoma is blessed with serve as a counterweight to that leasing trend, pointing out, for starters, the numerous wildlife management areas that exist across the state, some of which offer walk-up hunting opportunities.

"Since we're an agricultural-based economy, we're losing habitat like everyone else. But I don't think the pace is nearly as fast as it is in other places." -Mike Shaw, ODWC

A part of the state's public hunting opportunities are the famed Honobia Creek and Three Rivers areas that are comanaged by ODWC and the landowning timber companies. There is also the voluminous Ouachita National Forest, which is comanaged by the ODWC and the U.S. Forest Service.

To take full advantage of these opportunities, Shaw suggests that hunters get a copy of the state's hunting regulations, which details hunting opportunities found on the state's WMAs, along with a copy of the state's most recent Big Game Report.

"That report lists all of our WMAs and the deer harvest totals for all seasons," Shaw said. "Hunters can use that report to do some comparing, to research different parts of the state, and to have a good resource to use for planning in future years."

For the record, we're not talking about a shabby amount of land open to public hunting either. According to Shaw, these lands represent up to 1.6 million acres of property, much of it open to some form of deer hunting -- and that's not even mentioning the state's popular hunt permit drawings held every spring.

"Don't overlook our controlled hunts," Shaw said. "While it will be too late to get in line for this year, keep these hunts in mind for future years. All of our controlled hunts are offered online, so all a hunter has to do is get online, go to our Web site, go to the controlled hunts section, and select and apply for the hunts they want."

So what's the bottom line for Oklahoma deer hunters, both now and in the future? Plenty of reasons to smile, to keep the camo handy, and to have the taxidermist's phone number on speed dial.

While Shaw admitted that the Sooner State may never produce a world-record-caliber whitetail, he that it isn't impossible and that the state should certainly continue to crank out its share of record-book quality deer in the years to come.

With the mentality of many of the state's deer hunters beginning to shift somewhat, the future is only that much brighter. According to Shaw, the rise of organizations such as the Quality Deer Management Association and the changing wants of hunters in the state are helping shift hunters' desires from harvesting the first buck they see to something more substantial.

"People will want to kill better bucks and with the regulation changes we've made this year and probably will make in the years to come, it will bode well for deer and deer hunters in Oklahoma."

And that should mean that the Sooner State's deer hunters had better start saving their pennies to pay not only for meat processing but also for rising taxidermy bills. Not to mention picking out a spot on the wall for an Oklahoma trophy.

Because in Oklahoma, the deer-hunting picture is bright enough now and for the future that it should only be a matter of time before the buck of a hunter's dreams appears in front of his deer stand.

Find more about Oklahoma fishing and hunting at: OklahomaGameandFish.com